Kyiv: Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults of the war overnight, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 18 civilians and injuring more than 100 people, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.
The barrage, which continued from late night into the morning hours, struck residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure across the country. Rescue teams worked through the debris of damaged apartment buildings searching for survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
Among the victims were a mother and her eight-year-old son, as well as a three-year-old child whose bodies were recovered from the wreckage in the central city of Dnipro. Officials said 12 people were killed in Dnipro and six others lost their lives in the capital, Kyiv.
The attack came amid growing concerns in Kyiv after Russia warned that a large-scale strike was imminent and advised foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital. However, diplomatic missions reportedly remained in the city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault and urged the United States and European allies to provide additional military support, particularly air-defense systems.
“The massive overnight attack is an explicit statement by Russia: If Ukraine is not protected from ballistic missiles and other missile strikes, those attacks will continue,” Zelenskyy said.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 73 missiles and 656 drones during the assault. The primary targets included Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian air-defense systems intercepted or neutralized 40 missiles and 602 drones, preventing even greater destruction.
Military analysts say Moscow has intensified its aerial campaign in recent months, seeking to exploit Ukraine’s shortage of U.S.-supplied Patriot missile defense systems. International stockpiles of the advanced interceptors have reportedly been strained due to ongoing conflicts elsewhere, leaving Ukrainian cities increasingly vulnerable to ballistic missile attacks.
In Kyiv, terrified residents spent hours sheltering from the bombardment. Thirty-seven-year-old Iryna Salikova said she and her three-year-old daughter spent the night inside a bathtub, one of the safest locations in their apartment during air raids.
“Our window was shattered, and a cobblestone flew into the children’s room,” she said. “Thank God we’re alive. Today we’re alive, today we’re lucky.”
Emergency services reported at least 64 injuries in the capital. Residential buildings, schools and other civilian facilities suffered damage across eight districts of Kyiv.
Among the injured were Olena Dniprovska, 65, and her husband Yevhen, 64, whose apartment was devastated by the blast wave. Dniprovska said doors and windows were blown out as debris rained down on them.
“Now I have nowhere to live. The apartment is completely destroyed,” she said.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, at least 14 people were injured. Several residential buildings, garages and vehicles were damaged, while rescuers searched for people trapped under a collapsed four-story apartment block.
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed carrying out what it described as a “massive strike” using long-range precision weapons against military-industrial facilities in several Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi and Sumy.
The latest escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled. U.S.-led peace initiatives have made little progress, with key disagreements continuing between Moscow and Kyiv. While Ukraine has expressed willingness to accept an unconditional ceasefire proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the proposal.
Putin also signaled that Russia intends to continue its military operations, citing a Ukrainian drone strike last month in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that reportedly killed 21 people.
The war, now in its fifth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues to exact a heavy human toll. Despite mounting battlefield challenges and growing economic pressure, both sides remain locked in a conflict with no immediate end in sight.
